William ballard



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BALLARD, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

BENT TIMBERS FOR SHIPS FRAMES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,007, dated June 6, 1854.

To all whom it may concern.' Be it known that I, WILLIAM BALLARD, of the city, county, and State of New York,

-have invented a new andImproved Mode of l by bending the same by any suitable means,

to the shape required; in combination with the timber so bent, l (at the point known as the naval timber of a plate of iron so as to be concealed in the wood and protected from the action of the bilge water and at-l l mosphere; also in removing the heart of the wood, by splitting the stick of timber, when bent, so as to prevent rot in the timber, the two halves being joined together again by bolts, so as to leave space enough between the halves to admit of a free circulation of air. t But to describe my invent-ion more particularly I will refer to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this schedule, the same letters of reference wherever they occur referring to the same parts.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of one of the framing timbers of a ship, showing the whole of the flooring of a ship. Fig. 2, is a vertical inside view of the framing timber as taken from the line m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a `perspective view of a framing timber as composed of the floor timbers, naval timber, 1stand 2nd futtock timbers, top and half top timbers.

Letter A is a representation of the framing timber, as bent from a single stick of timber. At the upper ends of the timber it is flattened down so as to be about halfas thick as the lower end.

Letter B, is a plate ofiron let into the timber at the point known as the naval timber. This plate of iron is let into the timber after it is bent, and being a stiff, heavy piece of metal, acts as a support or brace to strengthen the timber. At the pointl C, the half floor timber is joined to the naval timber or point known as the naval timber. This flooring* timber I), is an independent piece of timber to which the opposite framing timbers are attached, or bolted, and joining on to the keel, and held down by the keelson. When the stick of timber is bent to the proper shape, it is then split down by the saw and the heart removed, and is then put together again, or nearly so, pins or wedges e, e, e, being inserted between them so as to allow of the passage of air between the halves of the timbers. The halves are then bolted together by the usual methods well known to shipwrights.

In Fig. 3, the various pieces of timber used in the ordinary process of framing ship timbers `are marked by their respect-ive names, so as to illustrate more fully the importance of the invention, not only on account of the great difliculty in getting natural crooks for naval timbers, but also on account of the greater strength obtained in the timbers, and at the same time greater facility in handling and putting up the fra-me of a ship.

Having described my invention I will proceed to state what I claim and desire to securen by Letters Patent of the United States Cutting the heart out of artificially bent ship timbers, at the curve or bend known as the naval timber, and combining therewith an iron plate (curved so as to fit the lcurve of the timber), by inserting it in the place cut out of the timber, so as to be protected from rusting by the action of the atmosphere o-r bilge water of the ship, substantially as hereinbefore described.

y WILLIAM BALLARD. `Witnesses present:

CHARLES L. BARRITT, JOHN B. DnMrrr. 

